Jon Kyl, a Persuasive Advocate of Defense

This essay is adapted from the author’s keynote address at the recent dedication of the new Kyl Institute for National Security at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Kyl announced on December 30 that “the time has come for me to withdraw from public life” after being diagnosed with “a neurological disease manifesting as dementia.”

Politics today is dyspeptic. Practitioners are commonly described as liars, blowhards, opportunists, or fanatics. Some deserve the knock. In fact, some are all of the above. But generalizing along these lines is not just a mistake; it’s cynical. It causes harm by disparaging democracy.

About the Author

Douglas J. Feith

Douglas J. Feith is a senior fellow at Hudson Institute and served in the George W. Bush administration as undersecretary of defense for policy.

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This essay is adapted from the author’s keynote address at the recent dedication of the new Kyl Institute for National Security at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Kyl announced on December 30 that “the time has come for me to withdraw from public life” after being diagnosed with “a neurological disease manifesting as dementia.”

Politics today is dyspeptic. Practitioners are commonly described as liars, blowhards, opportunists, or fanatics. Some deserve the knock. In fact, some are all of the above. But generalizing along these lines is not just a mistake; it’s cynical. It causes harm by disparaging democracy.